Jarrod Parker (5-6, 4.68) is on the mound for Oakland, which owns a 10-game home winning streak. That rates as tied for third-best in Oakland history.

Before Thursday’s game, the A’s will honor New York reliever Mariano Rivera, who’s making his final regular-season appearance at the Coliseum. Rivera is tied for the major-league lead in saves (23) this season and is the career leader with 631.

At the end of his playing career in the mid-1990s, Melvin caught Rivera with the Yankees’ Triple-A Columbus team.

“I’ve seen (him) from Day 1 until now,” Melvin said. “… He’s had an unbelievable career. And not only that, he’s as good a person as he is a player. He has meant so much to that organization, continues to mean a lot to that organization, and (I) wish him the best in his career afterward. …

“It’s rare that you get a guy like that (who’s) going out on top. That is the case with him.”

While with Columbus, Rivera hadn’t yet picked up his signature pitch, the cutter. At that time, Melvin said Rivera’s main pitch was a four-seam fastball.

“He had great late life on his fastball,” Melvin said, “and he pitched up in the zone. It was tough to stay on top of it.”